TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-- Florida’s Lt. Governor called teen vaping a crisis Tuesday morning.
“It’s a growing concern. It’s a growing epidemic. Obviously, it’s something Governor DeSantis and I are very concerned about," said Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez.
She met with education, health, and judicial leaders to get an update on where Florida is in the fight to combat underage e-cigarette use.
Health surveys suggest vaping has hit an unprecedented level among teens in Florida schools. Meanwhile, around 450 people in 33 states, including Florida, have suffered lung illnesses linked to vaping.
The CDC is urging people to stop using e-cigarettes until an investigation is complete.
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said halting illegal vaping has become a top priority for his department. “It’s front and center. Kids are dying. Kids' lungs are being— they’re being hospitalized with damage to their lungs in short periods of time.”
The leaders said they’re working with the CDC and FDA to tackle the problem. One way-- through better-educating users of the danger. And potentially some policies, too.
A bill already filed for the next session aims to raise the age of vaping and smoking tobacco from 18 to 21 in Florida.
The Lt. Governor said she has yet to read the bill.
